Piano Man

All songs hold memories, and some songs are more special than others. Everyone has those songs that bring them back to another time and place each time you hear it. When emotions come flooding back, or a memory becomes so vivid, it's like you are reliving it all over again, and it may be beautiful or bitter sweet or even sad, but either way, you are addicted to going back to the past just for a little while as the song is playing.  And being in a nostalgic mood today, I decided to write about one of my 'memory lane' songs, which is the wonderful classic, "Piano Man" by Billy Joel.

Ironically, the lyrics themselves speak of nostalgia and the surrender to escape from the realities for some time, which is felt in the music. The story is so sad, about Billy Joel's experience as a piano man and the people who came to hear him play, which makes the song even sadder, because it is about real people and real circumstances; of living with unfulfilled aspirations and trying to cope in a world that has disillusioned them from their dreams. But despite all that, it is a song that is fantastic to sing along too.

The music begins with the solo piano, which then is joined by the harmonica, which in my opinion, heightens the sense of nostalgia. Billy Joel has written incredible songs, with other classics like 'New York State of Mind' and 'Just the way you are,' but 'Piano Man' still remains one of his most famous. It was released in late 1973, and to this day is one of his most loved songs, with all generations having heard it. I'm not going to go into my own memories with it, but I hope you enjoy 'Piano Man,' because it really is one of those songs that everyone should listen to, and you never know, you may create your own memories with it.

The escapist

Everyone is different. And that is the most amazing thing about the world: we are all unique, with an infinite amount of hopes and dreams. It is truly remarkable how contrasting everyone and everything is. But instead of going on about all those myriad types of people out there (as it would take a considerably long time), I'm going to talk about being 'the escapist.'

 I'm going to be really boring and define what 'escapism' is according to my dictionary (English teachers everywhere are probably weeping right now). Escapism is: "the tendency to seek distraction and relief from unpleasant realities, especially seeking entertainment or engaging in fantasy." Indeed, escape can be found in books, television, in writing, but also can be found in music, as well as other recreational activities such as running or dancing- anything, pretty much, that involves taking your mind off things.  But as I said before, everyone is different, so a means of escape ranges.

But let's talk about the completely artificial and utterly amazing experience of dancing in a club. I understand it is not everyone's cup of tea, but personally, I absolutely love going to a club or that sort of atmosphere, with the flashing coloured lights, sometimes a smoke machine, loud music that is like a heartbeat (I don't like the music that they play in clubs, but it just suits the place) and you just dance and forget about everything. It is as if nothing exists at all, and you're just getting lost in the dancing: it's when you feel so alive.

That may just be me, but one of my favourite things to do is listening to music and just dancing around (which I have to admit, I do all the time at home). It always makes me smile and even if something in my life has gone a bit effed-up and off track, it lets me just escape for a while and not worry about anything.

Another thing I absolutely love to do is just stare up at the sky (both day and night skies). The sky is like looking into infinity; it is endless and is always changing and it is always so beautiful- even on the dreariest of days. And because it goes "towards infinity and beyond" (yes, I did just quote Buzz from 'Toy Story') you can just let your mind wonder to the boundless possibilities and ideas that are in your mind and there are no walls or barriers blocking you in your dreamings. I also love how symbolic the sky is, as it is forever changing, but it is also the one constant thing in the world; something that every single person has in common. And I find that a spectacular thought.

So, as you have probably gathered, I am seriously a massive escapist, but that's fine.

Blood Promise

I know I've already written a review about 'Vampire Academy' ("From Page to Screen") by Richelle Mead, however, I have continued reading the series and have finished the fourth book, 'Blood Promise.' I enjoyed it so much, that I think it deserves a post just dedicated to it.
The 'Vampire Academy' books are a fantastic series for anyone who loves urban fantasy romance, and I am loving this series so much. I realise that I can't give any of the plot away for 'Blood Promise,' because if you haven't read the series, the entire plot of the fourth book would be a complete spoiler for what the first three books are leading towards. You may think: then why I am even bothering to write a review about it, and the reason is that I think it deserves to be praised.

How the third book, 'Shadow Kiss,' ended, I couldn't wait to read the next instalment and I was not disappointed with how the story continued; the fourth book is my absolute favourite in this series so far. I love the style of writing, through the point of view of the headstrong and incandescent Rose, who now is on a personal mission that keeps you enthralled and unable to put the book down. Your heart races when dangers arise, it breaks when _____ and it swells in the beautiful flashbacks that consisted of moments during the time taken place in the previous books, but weren't a part of them. 'Blood Promise' is set differently than it's predecessors, which I thought allowed for a more flexible and engaging plot to develop.

As I said, I don't want to give anything away, so if you haven't read the series, I encourage it, because you have the fourth book to look forward to- and there are two more books I have left in the series, and I am really looking forward to when I get my hands on a copy. I really want to know what happens next!

rating: 9/10

Take Shelter

Most people I've spoken to have not heard of the band 'Years & Years,' and to be honest, I didn't know about them until about a month ago, and I have absolutely fallen in love with their song

  "Take Shelter"

The music video came out last week, and I have lost count how many people I've shown it to. Because this song has been in my head, so everywhere I go, I have a little party going on and because I don't really care what passes-by think of me, I just break into dance. For example, once a week I volunteer at a stall and one of the other volunteers and I simultaneously started dancing to the songs that were playing in our head. And you know what- we had a pretty amazing time. 

British band 'Years & Years' formed in 2010, with Olly Alexander as lead singer, but they are relatively new, with their debut single "Traps" coming out last year. The 'Take Shelter- EP' is being released on the 19th of August, and I'm so excited about buying it, because this song is truly incredible and despite it being constantly stuck in my head, I'm not sick of it one bit. I love this song so much!

Fun fact: Olly Alexander is also an actor and is starring in the new movie "God Help the Girl,"which I'm really wanting to see. It is a musical drama film, also starring Hannah Murray, who plays Cassie in 'Skins,' so it's another reason why I'm really looking forward to it. 

A Clockwork Orange

As requested, I attempted to read 'A Clockwork Orange' by Anthony Burgess, and it was a very different type of reading experience. I found it really hard to follow with the 'nadsat' colloquial language of the protagonist Alex, which meant that I had to quite often re-read sentences and phrases in an attempt to understand what was being said. It is written in the first person, which I always love, as it allows for the voice of a particular character to be heard, and for the reader to see how one person views their world and their role within it, and 'A Clockwork Orange' is certainly no exception from that, with the unique voice and use of language to demonstrate the status, background and values of Alex.



Originally, I thought I would read the book and then watch the film and write a "from page to screen," but I have to admit, I'm a bit afraid to watch the film. I'm not a fan of scary, graphic violence, and as the book holds many of that, I don't think I would be able to sit through such a terrifying and probably disturbing movie. However, I completely understand why 'A Clockwork Orange' is famous, because not only the language and style of writing is one of a kind, the novel is fantastic case of morality and ethics, asking great philosophical questions, which can lead to great discussion and debate. It is one of those books that English teachers (also philosophy teachers) would absolutely love to teach, as the context of this dystopian world is truly an interesting study. The underlying question that Anthony Burgess addresses in 'A Clockwork Orange' is: whether it is better to have free will but do bad things, or do good things, but because you are conditioned to do so, which, through the teenage delinquent, Alex, he responds that it is better to be bad but free, which I'm not altogether sure if that is Burgess's personal view or not, but, as I mentioned, this book and this question allows readers to explore where they stand in that continual debate.




Unfortunately though, since I was struggling with the writing style, I didn't complete reading the entire novel. I feel utterly horrible about that, but it really is a quite challenging read, and now that uni has started again, I'm back to the overwhelming overload of study and readings, so perhaps one day in the future I may have a second take on reading this classic. But for now, I apologise for not completing the book, however, hopefully I was able to write a decent review based on the amount I did read.

Sometimes it's the parent's fault

I have a terrible problem of being a procrastinator, but sometimes it isn't my fault. That is right: sometimes it isn't my fault that I don't do homework when I had the intention of getting stuff done and being a "good student," because sometimes it is actually my parent's fault. Take this evening for example:

 It was just mum and I at home and I was planning to start research for one of my subjects that I actually have no clue about. But my mum asked me if I could help prepare dinner, so I was like "sure." And as it was just the two of us, we thought we could eat in front of the television and continue watching the series we started the other day. And despite us having already finished eating, we kept on watching a few episodes and the only reason we stopped is because we finished the series. 

Me: "okay, I'm going to study now."

Mum: "it's your turn to wash the dishes."

So I wash the dishes and then this happens...

Mum: "our program just came on tv. Do you want to keep me company?"

And like a good daughter, I can't just leave my mum alone on the couch, so I sacrifice the time I should be studying and spend it with her instead. And haven't we been told all our lives to respect and obey your parents? So by watching tv with mum means I'm actually behaving responsibly, right? 

So, even though our program finished, we proceed to go on youtube... and that is the eternity trap right there! 

Now, youtube is one of the best things and worst things to ever be invented; you lose track of time watching some of the funniest and the most pointless videos. Mum and I think: "we'll just watch a couple of videos," but after that couple, we keep on clicking on new videos that they suggest in that column thing and next thing you know, it's too late to study effectively. 

Oh no! I guess I'll have to do all that work tomorrow, but for the record: it was not my fault this time- sometimes it's the parent's. 

Dream a little dream of me

I have just spent my entire afternoon and evening studying and doing homework and I worked out I've spent seven hours doing that. I'm so exhausted and I'm just about to collapse in a heap and sleep, so if I'm not making any sense at all, it is due to the manic workload I've just done. And unfortunately if anyone were to ask me what I was studying, I would reply: "I have absolutely no clue."

Anyway, I haven't forgotten that today is Monday (well, actually, I did, but I've remembered now) so today's song is 'Dream a little dream of me' which is an old song, but an absolute classic. It has a beautiful tune and the sweetest lyrics imaginable. The other night, a group of my friends and I went to a jazz bar, which was a fun experience. Unfortunately there wasn't a singer (I'm a big fan of lyrics), but the musicians were incredibly talented and the atmosphere was quite inspiring, with the dimmed lighting, the captivated audience and the passionate notes being played, filling the room with colours. The reason why I bring this up, is that, 'Dream a little dream of me' was written in the era where jazz was in it's height, and also, I'm exhausted, so it makes sense to me to link the two together.

Written by Fabian Andre and Wilbur Schwandt, it was first recorded in 1931, but since then, it has been adopted by many other artists as a choice of cover, one of the most famous would be 'The Mamas and the Papas' version from 1968, sung by the gifted Mama Cass Elliot. Her voice is so pure and holds no imperfections; it is smooth and really suits the song, as if it was written for her to sing. She actually said: "I tried to sing it like it was 1943 and somebody had just come in and said, 'Here's a new song.' I tried to sing it as if it were the first time." It the perfect cover to a perfect song: